


Stuck for Life

by Momo (uglee)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Hermione Granger, F/M, Healer Harry Potter, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Marriage Law Challenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-17 05:46:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21049295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uglee/pseuds/Momo
Summary: After a rather unexpected response from Britain's ever loved "Golden Trio", the Ministry approves an archaic law that will rock the very foundation of the world as they know it. A marriage law, and one that doesn't seem to favor the three who subtly protested the Ministry. When it is announced to the public, it backfires in a rather horrid way for the Ministry, and the punishment that they sought to dish out may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.





	Stuck for Life

**Hello all! I know what you're thinking, and it's probably along the lines of, "Nice to see you, Miss 'I haven't written in months but here's a new story,'", but honestly, my absence is mostly due to me being a depressed little mongrel. I've had this story on my docs list for a while, and thought, "Oh, what the hell?" Fair warning with anyone who has triggers, this chapter does very briefly reference to the suicide of a(in my opinion) major character. **

  
  


**July 23rd, 1998 11:00AM**

**London, England, Ministry of Magic**

There were many places that Hermione Granger imagined herself, sitting in the atrium of the Wizengamot wasn’t one of them. If she was honest, the entire summer that she was spending in the wizard world was a bit much. After a disappointing search for her parents in Australia, she and Harry had returned and were thrust into trials from the moment they stepped foot back on British soil. Evidently, they were something like celebrities in the wizard world. For doing what was needed to survive. Now, was the most prolific and media covered trial to date and the infamous “Golden Trio” had to be there. Ron sat in the midst of her and Harry, reeking of booze. She’d done her best to clean him up enough to show his face in public, but there was only so much she could do. 

“The Wizengamot calls Lucius Malfoy to the bench!” She felt the multitudes of eyes on hers she craned her neck to see the Aurors drag a disheveled Lucius Malfoy before the panel of wizards. They were to serve as judge, jury, and likely in his case, executioner. It was to be a sad end to the patriarch of the Malfoy family. But, in the large room, surrounded by reporters of what she guessed was every major news outlet in the wizard world, cameras flashing and jumbled words echoing through the room, she realized that it didn’t have to be. Her mind wandered to the closed session that she, Harry, and Ron had sat through; the entire reason they were there to begin with. 

** _July 23rd, 1998 07:30 London, England, Ministry of Magic_ **

_ When the Floo of Harrison Barkle, newly appointed head of the DMLE’s office, he nearly leaped from his skin. The old muggleborn would never get used to the abrupt visits, no matter what anyone said. But this time, the surprise was more than welcome when two familiar figures burst from the emerald flames.  _

_ The first was that of a man who many, including Mr. Barkley, felt they owed their very lives to. Harry James Potter, The Boy Who Lived, he who defeated Voldemort, a man whose eyes matched the very spell that made him a legend. Unlike Harisson, Mr. Potter looked less than thrilled to be in the room.  _

_ Next came a man whose reputation was almost as fiery as his temper, which was equally as fiery as the locks atop his head. It would be the understatement of the century to say that Mr. Weasley was having a bad go at life in the four months since the battle at Hogwarts. After he drunkenly exposed Daily Prophet columnist, Rita Skeeter, as an unregistered animagus, the spiteful and vindictive harpy printed a story about him abandoning his friends whilst they were in the search for the remaining shards of He Who Must Not Be Named’s soul. This evoked a largely negative reaction from the citizens of the wizard world, swamping him with hate mail. That accompanied by his inability to cope with his elder brother’s death at the battle, followed by the rather unfortunate suicide of his other brother, Percy Weasley, led the youngest Weasley son to the comfort of the bottle.  _

_ Ronald and Percy were often seen together after the battle, meeting up for coffee and drunkenly singing in pubs. They looked as close as brothers could get, despite the fact that the rest of the family wasn’t speaking with Percy. It was widely known that he was suffering, that he blamed himself for the death of his younger brother. That he regretted not getting closer to him before his life was so suddenly snatched away from him. Ronald was the one to find him, unresponsive and surrounded by numerous spirits and potions, his lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling. It took Harry Potter himself to come and pry Ronald from the young man, and the Weasley family grew ever smaller.  _

_ Though something good did come out of it all, and her name was Penelope Gwyndolen Weasley, ward of her uncle Ronald. Currently, she was living in The Burrow with Molly and Arthur Weasley, but Percy wanted Ronald to take care of his child in the event of his untimely demise, and Ronald had entered a rehabilitation program so that he would be able to fulfill that request. It was going rather slowly, but his two best friends stood behind him every step of the way, both often seen sitting in meetings with him, smiles on their faces as they watched their friend struggle to get back on his feet.  _

_ The two men sat down, Mr. Potter wearing a crisp white button down, a thick beard seeming to corrupt the boyish image that had plastered so many previous photos of him. It was an odd thing, but he really looked like a man. His friend sat next to him, stubble peppering his chin, dark circles under his eyes, a deep frown set on his features as he scrutinized the room. His outfit was entirely Muggle, surprisingly. There was a tee shirt with the muggle band Led Zeppelin on it, distressed Muggle jeans, and a pair of the Muggle shoe brand, Chuck Taylors. His hair, which had often been seen in a messy bun atop his head was shaved in a crew cut, matching his companion’s.  _

_ Harry and Ronald were both mumbling amongst themselves as the floo burst to life, revealing a rather tired looking Hermione Granger, dark shades over her eyes as she adjusted her casual muggle attire. She apologized to the two, saying that she was having afternoon tea with her great-aunt, which explained her formal wrap dress and strappy heels. Her usually wild and curly hair was tousled, a few locks draped over her shoulders. The brunette tossed them over her shoulders as she took a seat to the right of the Weasley man, placing a hand on his shoulder as she asked him how he was, how his last session went. This went on until the door of the office flew open, revealing Kingsley Shacklebolt and Auror Robards.  _

_ “Harry, Ron, Hermione!” The three looked up, smiles spreading across their faces as they rose to greet the Minister. It was no secret that the four were all good friends, which was the whole reason that the trio was brought before them. The three men had a plan that would make any remaining Death Eater think twice about resurrection another Dark Lord, and it all rested on the shoulders of the famed Golden Trio. As they all sat down, Robbards spoke up.  _

_ “I’m sure you two are curious as to why the three of you were called here so early,” he started, taking a sip from his coffee, brought to the office by a house elf. “I’m just going to be frank. Lucius Malfoy and his family are horrible people and they all deserve the Kiss.” The three young people’s eyes widened a bit, shocked at the man’s gall. “But in order for the three of them to get the Kiss, we just need a little cooperation from you three. It’s no secret that anything you say holds a great amount of sway over public opinion, and I’m sure you want to see that they pay for their crimes as well, especially when it comes to their wretched pissant of a son.” The older men all sent pitying glances at Hermione when they said these things.  _

_ “I’m sorry, what are you asking of us exactly?” They all looked to Harry, who eyed the men suspiciously. Judging by the way he spoke, it sounded as if Robbards held a grudge against the Malfoys, Draco especially. While the trio were far from fond of the Malfoy heir, they didn’t want him to get the Kiss. He was an arsehole, sure. They felt he deserved his arse kicked, sure, but there was nothing he had done that would warrant him receiving something so… inhumane! _

_ “The case against the Malfoy patriarch is pretty much open and shut, he will never see the light of day, his wand had been snapped, and he will die in Azkaban. However, he won’t get the Kiss. Draco won’t even see five years, and at worst, the mother will be confined to the grounds of the manor for the next twenty years. We just want you to convince the Wizengamot that they are deserving of these punishments.” At this, Kingsley cut in. _

_ “Ron, they’re closing Fred’s case.” The three of them looked at the man as if he’d lost his mind, but he pushed on. “When we approached Percy about this-“ _

_ “You told Percy?!” The man rose to his feet, but Kingsley continued on.  _

_ “When we approached Percy, we asked him if he had seen the young Mr Malfoy anywhere near your brother at or around the time of his untimely death. He told us to shove off. I’m sure your family wants some closure for your brother’s death. All we need you to do is-“ _

_ “Lie.” They jumped at the sound of Harry’s voice. “Instead of doing your fucking jobs and finding the person who murdered Fred Weasley, you want to blame it on Draco Malfoy.” The savior pushed himself to his feet, glaring down on the men.  _

_ “I cannot believe this,” Hermione cut in. “You’re telling us this so we can lie!” Turning to Ron, she opened her mouth to speak to him, but the redhead was already rising to his feet.  _

_ “It was you!” His fingers flew at Kingsley. “You did this! You’re the reason my brother is gone. You tried to blackmail him, coerce him into lying about Malfoy killing Fred. You’re the reason he-“ Despite his therapy, he couldn’t say it. He couldn’t say the horrid truth that they all knew was there. No one wanted to say it, that Percy Weasley was dead because of Kingsley Shacklebolt. Taking a deep breath, he turned on his heel and left.  _

——

**Present Time**

Despite the fact that she never liked the Malfoy patriarch, she could always… somewhat understand how proud his son was of him. He was a powerful man in a powerful position, and he loved his son. If he didn’t love anything else, he loved Draco, and in the end, it served to be his greatest mistake. Where he once stood tall, a smirk painted across his face, hair styled immaculately, he was now almost bent in on himself. His beautiful platinum hair was dirty, limp, just about as lifeless as he looked. His eyes, once filled with so much pride, were dark, empty orbs. The man almost looked like he’d already gotten the Kiss. He looked so pathetic, she almost felt sorry for him.

When the aurors shoved him towards his bench, the stout wizard began reading off the charges. Bribery, kidnapping, slavery, murder, multiple counts of sexual deviancy, conspiracy, money laundering, fraud, using magic on muggles, falsifying legal documents, escaping imprisonment, assaulting Ministry employees, torture, imperiousing government officials, human trafficking,  _ terrorism, _ child abuse, child endangerment. With every charge, her stomach dropped lower. She knew that Lucius Malfoy was a sick man, but she never truly knew to what extent. He would never see the light of day again, and for that, she was more than happy to know. 

His case was pretty much open and shut until it came to the child abuse and child endangerment. It seemed that all of these charges were brought upon him by his own  _ wife _ , Narcissa Malfoy! A hush fell over the crowd as the woman was brought before the crowd. She didn’t look as out of sorts as her husband, but it was more than evident that Azkaban had taken its toll on the woman. Her hair was lank and greasy, many wrinkles showing in her skin. It was almost as if she were a completely different person, and for some reason, that didn’t sit well with the muggleborn witch. 

“Mrs. Malfoy,” The Wizengamot member started, slight irritation on his face. “Mrs. Malfoy is charging her husband with forcing her son to take the Dark Mark in order to put their family back into favor with Lord Voldemort, and says that when he refused to take the mark, Mr. Malfoy beat him into submission. Collected memories show that these statements are in fact true and untampered with.” Hermione’s eyes narrowed as she heard Ron scoff next to her. It was more than evident that Lucius Malfoy treated Draco like the sun shined out of the crack of his arse. If he wasn’t such a spineless coward, she bet the moment Voldemort told him that he would have to turn his son over to him, Lucius Malfoy would’ve hexed his precious Dark Lord to east hell and back. She bet they made him accept it so that Narcissa would avoid an Azkaban sentence. 

Everything was jumbled after that, Lucius Malfoy surprisingly not only being sentenced to Azkaban, but pending charges would likely result in his getting the kiss! Shaking her head, Hermione looked over at Harry, seeing him take a deep breath. At that point, came the trial everyone was looking forward to. The fate of Draco Malfoy. 

When the Malfoy Scion was brought before the panel, she almost wanted to vomit. Draco Malfoy looked like hell, and there was no other way to describe it. The skin around his eyes seemed to be permanently bruised, he had a swollen and busted lip, and his already pale skin looked damn near translucent. It was as if someone had solidified a ghost, and dragged him to stand in Malfoy’s place. Shaking her head, she listened as they went down the long list of charges against Draco Malfoy. The murders of Fred Weasley and Albus Dumbledore, the several attempts at the life of a ministry official, conspiracy to commit murder, the poisoning of Ronald Weasley, imperiousing Rosmerta and Katie Bell, purchase of illegal magic artifacts, underage use of dark magic, illegal apparition, aiding and abetting a fugitive, domestic terrorism, international terrorism, and illegal use of memory charms on a muggle. The courts were suggesting the Kiss, which she felt was ridiculous. Bellatrix Lestrange and her posse  _ tortured  _ Frank and Alice Longbottom until they were out of their minds, and they just got sent to Azkaban. Bellatrix Lestrange, a murderous, homicidal psychopath was given an Azkaban sentence where she should’ve had her soul sucked out, and they were trying to throw the book at Malfoy for things he did whilst both under age as well as duress. 

As Malfoy’s advocate stepped up, it was clear that the Ministry lined his pockets to throw the case. The entire matter was just disgusting to watch. Instead of working with what they had, they decided to embellish tales that were obviously not true to anyone involved in the war. Numerous clicks and flashes filled the room as the defense called out the name everyone had been waiting for. 

“The court calls Mr. Harry J. Potter to the witness stand.” Deafening applause filled the room as Harry rose to his feet, taking slow, deliberate steps towards the bench as the numerous cameras went off. Once he took a seat at the bench, a hush fell over the crowd, but Harry’s eyes met Malfoy’s, followed by a shake of the head. Hermione noticed how Malfoy’s entire form tensed, the jurors smiling over at Harry. 

“Mr. Potter, what is your experience with Mr. Malfoy?” Harry’s eyes scanned the room, his eyes landing on Hermione. When they’d found Ron, they’d had a rather intense conversation. She bet the conversation was playing back in both Harry and Ron’s minds as well. 

**The Leaky Cauldron 9:30am Diagon Alley**

_ She wished that she could say that she was surprised to see Ron hunched over a pint at the Leaky, but she wasn’t. Surprisingly enough, though, the redhead was  _ sober _ . He simply clung to the mug, fingers tapping away at the glass as silent tears fell down his face. She wished that there was something that she could say to make him feel better, but she had never experienced what Ron had, and hoped never to do so.  _

_ Ron and Percy has gotten so close over those months after the war, and to find him, and ultimately have to bury him, it was all taking a toll on him, more so than anyone else. Sure his parents lost a son, and his siblings lost another brother, but Ron had lost his closest confidant. He was hurting, and for once, Hermione didn’t have the solution for his pain.  _

_ Harry wasted no time, walking up to his friend and wrapping him in a firm hug. Ron responded immediately linking his arms around Harry’s chest and burying his face in his best friend’s top. What followed was a long, sorrowful wail that shook Hermione to her very core. It drew the eyes of several patrons, but thankfully, Ronald Weasley having a public meltdown wasn’t news, and they could console him in peace. Hermione’s hand rubbed small circles in his back as Harry whispered to him in a voice so quiet, even she couldn’t hear it. Once he got himself together, they pulled him over to a booth, Hermione putting up a quick Muffling Charm. Before she could even speak up, Ron’s mouth opened, the words that followed shocking even her.  _

_ “I’m not blaming Malfoy for Fred’s death.” The two stared at him, Harry being the first to snap out of it, giving him a nod. Ron continued, running his hands through his hair. “Sure, he’s a posh bellend with his head far enough up his arse to see out his mouth, but I’m not going to let whoever did this get away, no matter how much I hate that aresehole.” The two of them nodded along. Honestly, if Ron had asked her to, she would’ve framed Malfoy without hesitation. Sure, it would’ve bothered her later, but she would’ve had to live with it. _

_ “I agree, Mate. I’m not compromising my humanity just to make the Ministry look good. What the bloody hell have they ever done for us?” They opened their menus and went over their options. Ron opted for a plate of fish and chips, accompanied by a ginger beer. Harry chose Shepherd’s pie with a butterbeer, and Hermione chose a large burger with chips and extra gherkins and a ginger beer. With that, they enjoyed a hearty breakfast and tried to figure out what they were going to do. In the end, they simply decided to tell the truth. _

**Present Day**

“Honestly? My experience with Draco Malfoy hasn’t always been the best. He’s petty, childish, racist, and a bully.” She watched as Malfoy’s shoulders fell, by Harry’s thoughtful Look was still in her peripheral. “But it didn’t always start off that way. First impressions always seem to define a person in our eyes, but my first impression of Draco Malfoy actually came at our second meeting. I come from the muggle world, I’m sure by now, everyone knows my tragic tale and all that sheer bollocks, but I had no preconceived notions of what a Malfoy was. I didn’t know  _ who _ he was when I first met him, just that he was the first person my age that I had met in the wizard world.” Hermione perked at this, having always thought that Ron was the first wizard Harry had met aside from Hagrid. 

“We met at Madame Malkins on my first trip to Diagon Alley. Draco Malfoy was a pretentious prick, but all in all, he was entirely innocent. He was his own brand of kind, he was his own brand of warm, and I simply didn’t register it as so. This was a boy who desperately wanted to be my friend  _ without _ knowing that I was Harry Potter, and I kind of brushed him off because he was a twat.

My  _ first _ impression of him was when he insulted Ron Weasley for the first time. I’d kind of developed this dislike for Slytherin whilst on the train. I was told that the man who killed my parents was in Slytherin, that all dark wizards come from Slytherin, that putting me in Slytherin would immediately align me with evil. I obviously know that to be untrue now, but as an eleven year old, I wasn’t as conscious, not as aware. So when this boy, this kid who I’d already written off as a wanker, extended his hand of friendship to me again, I openly rejected it. I told him that I could tell the wrong sort for myself, and kind of put him on my shitlist.” The reactions to Harry’s casual swearing was hilarious to watch, hearing the many elder members of the Wizengamot gasping at his use of foul language. 

“This went on for years. We would bicker and fight, hex each other in the hallway. He learned a new little word, people hated him and admired him alike. So many people wanted both to be him and be rid of him that it was equal parts, hilarious, frustrating, and sad. This all culminated up to a rather nasty duel in our sixth year where I did something horrid to Malfoy, and to this day, I have never apologized,” he said, looking up at the Malfoy heir. “And I’m sorry, Draco. I truly am.” The use of his given name gave Harry the desired effect, and the Malfoy looked away in obvious embarrassment.

“After that, I kind of let up on him. But if I was completely honest, I should have doubled down and done something. I knew that Malfoy was a Death Eater, I just couldn’t prove it, and I saw that he was showing signs of some form of post traumatic stress disorder. He was cagey, paranoid, he never ate, and he was nervous. He was obviously not sleeping at night, just generally unwell, and I said nothing. I just continued to accuse him of things that I knew he was doing as a cry for attention. After the death of the Headmaster, I realized that I had made a grave mistake. The next time I saw Malfoy, he looked better than he does now, but not by much, which is saying something because he looks like he’s been run over by a train.” A few people chuckled, but everyone else stayed quiet. 

When it was obvious that he was done sharing, then came the questioning. The Ministry advocate representing the prosecution rose to his feet, slowly approaching the bench. He looked smug, pompous, and with that, Hermione immediately disliked him. 

“Mr Potter, you said that you knew Mr. Malfoy was a Death Eater.” Harry nodded his head, scratching his sideburns. 

“I did, but even with that, I didn’t know for sure that he was a death eater until the night of Dumbledore’s death, and even then, I didn’t see it clearly. I just know that the tower was stormed by Death Eaters as he was lowering his wand at the protection that Dumbledore was offering him, which was complete bollocks because he couldn’t guarantee Draco’s safety amongst people who hated him. One ‘accidentally’ caste spell and who knows what could happen? Death Eater or not, he was stuck in his situation with no way out. I’m sure everyone thinks the sun shines out of my arse, but honestly, I would’ve been the first to rally against Malfoy.” The man looked dumbfounded as Harry looked him in his face and said his piece, clearing his throat and moving onto the next question. 

“Mr. Potter, you mentioned that you were in the headmaster’s office the night he was murdered. I’m sure that it’s pretty open and shut on that charge, as you witnessed Mr. Malfoy cast the killing curse and murder Albus Dumbledore.” At that point, Harry looked amused, and Hermione couldn’t help but roll her eyes. 

“Dumbledore was murdered in the Astronomy tower,” he started, leaning forwards. “And he wasn’t murdered, per se. It was a death of his own arrangement.” The entire hall went silent as Harry looked over at Malfoy, and even he looked surprised. “When Dumbledore was growing up, he and Grindlewald became obsessed with the Tale of the Three Brothers, and for so long, they searched for the Deathly Hallows. There was the Elder Wand, the Stone of Remembrance, and the Cloak of Invisibility. You see, both Tom Riddle and myself are actually descendants of two of the three brothers.”

“My father passed down an invisibility cloak from my Peverrel ancestor and Tom’s family possessed the stone. It was imbedded in a ring, one which was cursed. It was a nasty thing, and in his old age, Dumbledore could not fight it. He knew Draco was trying to kill him, and he never did anything about it because by the end of the year, he was going to die anyway.” Gasps filled the quiet room, four Hermione and Ron watched on in disinterest. They’d been told the story, lived through the moments, and seen it all play out. 

“I’m sure you all know by now that Severus Snape was a double agent for the Order of the Phoenix. What many don’t know, is that the professor was also the headmaster’s closest confidant, and he was aware of every underhanded thing that Dumbledore ever did. When he realized that the end was near, he said that if it came down to it and Draco couldn’t do it, that Severus was to kill him. That night in the Astronomy tower, Headmaster Dumbldore’s wishes were fulfilled and Severus ended his suffering.” It was obvious that the man was getting frustrated with Harry, so he quickly dismissed him, Harry made his way back to their seats. 

“Good on you, mate,” Ron said, clapping Harry on the shoulder and giving him a smile that it seemed that only Ron could give. Harry smiled slightly, nodding and watching as Hermione was called forth. Multiple yellings of, "Miss Granger," were yelled, asking trivial questions about her hair and makeup. When she ignored them, they simply went back to snapping multiple photos of her. 

Once she was seated, the hush returned, and Hermione's eyes scanned the courtroom, never settling in one place for too long. Before her gaze could rest too long on Malfoy, the prosecutor called for her attention. 

"I'd like l to start this off by saying that we thank you for your service to our world, and that you look lovely today, Miss Granger." Her eyes narrowed as she thanked him for his compliment, Harry placing a hand on Ron's shoulder as the redhead balled his fists.

"Miss Granger, would you agree with Mr. Potter's summation of Mr. Malfoy's character?" She smiled playfully, leaning back in her seat. The entire process entertained her. It had to, or she'd be outraged. It was as if due process of the law meant nothing to them. This trial was nothing but a publicity stunt for them. 

"You mean that he's a pretentious arsehole with nothing better to do than play Grow the Teeth on the Mudblood?'' Gasps sounded at her use of the word, but she seemed unfazed. "I mean, that can be said about a plethora of figureheads in this community, no matter the side they chose, but I'm not going to hold schoolyard bullying as evidence of a man's capacity to commit atrocious murder. That would be stupid." The prosecutor looked affronted, but went back to what he was doing.

"You said that Mr. Malfoy was in fact a blood supremacist-"

"And an arsehole, don't forget that." The man seemed annoyed at her interruption, but continued on.

"Several witness accounts say that Mr. Malfoy often targeted you specifically. They say that in the fall of 1992, Mr. Malfoy openly stated that he wished you dead in front of several students." She scoffed at the audacity. 

"I don't know if this alludes you, Mr. Prosecutor, but he actually said those words in front of two people, and those people are Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. We decided that we would do some detective work in the Slytherin common room because we suspected that Malfoy might be the heir of Slytherin. I brewed a polyjuice and we were to all to infiltrate the common rooms. Harry and Ron pretended to be Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, who I had previously incapacitated." Malfoy's eyes widened at the revelation, but she could tell it was insincere. Draco Malfoy knew that Harry and Ron were faking, he said what he said to get a reaction from them. He wanted them to give him a reason to rat them out. 

"Ah," the man said, turning his back to her. "Either way, death threats seem to be leagues above schoolyard bullying. Mr Malfoy genuinely wished you harm."

"Mr. Malfoy," Hermione started, annoyance in her voice, ''was a twelve year old  _ boy _ . A child. Aside from Tom Riddle, I don't know any twelve year old boys that have the capacity for murder." The Wizengamot was obviously getting annoyed with her, but the questioning continued. 

"Explain what happened Easter weekend, when you, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Weasley were caught by snatchers." The smile fell from her face, but the prosecutor smirked. It was well documented, the horrid things that Bellatrix Lestrange did to her. She'd given an exclusive interview to  _ The Quibbler _ , and Luna made her feel so comfortable, she was able to spill all of her guts. After the interview, the blonde had prepared her a cuppa and brushed her hair for what felt like hours. It was a very beautiful and intimate moment that she'd never been afforded before.

"I'm sure you can get a play by play from _The Quibbler_, but a summation would be that I was tortured endlessly by Bellatrix Lestrange for information that I didn't possess. Mr. Malfoy was asked to identify us by his father, and he refused to do so. I had used a stinging hex to alter Harry's appearance, but Ron and I remained unchanged. He knew who we were and he lied to his aunt and parents about our identity. A small moment, but it did a world of difference. Ron and I would have died that night, and Harry too." The scribbles of numerous quills were heard as she stared the man down. 

"That'll be all, Miss Granger." She rose from her seat, glaring at the man that was supposed to be at Malfoy's defense. It was sad, she'd bet so many qualified advocates had been turned down for the opportunity for exposure they needed just so this pompous area could make money off of an "easy case". It sickened her, but she said nothing, not sparing Malfoy another glance as she made her way to the stands. 

"Can you believe this shit show," Hermione hissed, listening to the defence make a mockery of his profession. Ron chuckled, throwing an arm around her shoulders. It was rather sad, the Malfoys being blamed for far more nefarious things than they had done, but a ruined reputation was far better than what  was essentially a death sentence. At least they could rebuild after their reputation was tarnished and use it as a lesson.

"Due to evidence being presented," a member of the Wizengamot spoke up, interrupting Draco's defence. Harry and Hermione seemed to have ruined Ron's chance to go before the prosecution. 

"We have decided that Albus Dumbledore's death be ruled a suicide, and Fred Weasley's death remain unsolved." Ron visibly deflated, Hermione's hand trying to grasp his before he stood abruptly, exiting the courtroom. Neither stayed for the announcement of Draco's sentencing, or his mother's. 


End file.
